Stripping and prepping aluiminum wheels
 

I own a 1984 vette and want to stripp the wheels from their paint and clearcoat so I can polish them does anybody have a suggestion? I sont want to hurt the metal.

RE: Stripping and prepping aluiminum wheels
 

Been there done that. I did the same to my 88 wheels. Go to any Auto Zone and get yourself a can or two of "Aircraft Remover" I know it's a weird name but there's nothing weird about how it works. Just follow the instuctions printed on the can. It will strip the clearcoat off without harming the aluminum. I did my wheels and then took them to Oconto Metal finishing in Oconto WI. And they polished them to a mirror like finish. They hand sand all the lath marks out of the wheel and then polish them out. If you really want you can reclear the rims when your done. I left mine bare. I also airbrushed the silver back into the slots. But you can do anything you want as far as color where there was paint. But Remember, "AirCraft Remover". Made short work of stipping the clearcoat.

RE: Stripping and prepping aluiminum wheels
 

use aircraft stripper from the auto paint store. Let the stripper sit on the wheels a few minutes or until you see it all wrinkle up. wash off with water to neutralize the stripper chemicals. The stripper won't hurt the wheels. Once it is clean and dry then you can polish it with a small rotor tool, clean the wheels with aluminum prep also from the paint store for proper adhesion. If the wheels are smooth you may have to sand them with 1500 grit micro fine sandpaper , pre-clean then apply the clearcoat.